From: Peter Gregson <postmaster@roseburn32.plus.com>
Sent: 17 January 2019 01:37
To: ‘FirstMinister@gov.scot’ <FirstMinister@gov.scot>
Cc: ‘david@davidmundell.com’ <david@davidmundell.com>; ‘info@deliveringforscotland.gov.uk’ <info@deliveringforscotland.gov.uk>; ‘enquiries@scotlandoffice.gsi.gov.uk’ <enquiries@scotlandoffice.gsi.gov.uk>; ‘Jacob.Hansen@gov.scot’ <Jacob.Hansen@gov.scot>; ‘John.Malone@gov.scot’ <John.Malone@gov.scot>; ‘david.mundell.mp@parliament.uk’ <david.mundell.mp@parliament.uk>; ‘alex@alexsalmond.scot’ <alex@alexsalmond.scot>
Subject: Leslie Evans – complaint
Dear First Minister,
I have some information about the Permanent Secretary to the Scottish Government but I am unclear as to whether this needs to go to your office or David Mundell’s office (as Secretary of State), so I am writing to you both.
Twenty-five years ago Ms Evans faked an Edinburgh Council report in order to strip the community arts project I helped manage of its revenue funding. I was the treasurer of the body concerned, the Video Access Centre, at the time. I have written up an account of what took place on my website at www.kidsnotsuits.com/fake-news-how-public-lies-begin and can provide witnesses (including John Adams). Although I published this six months ago, I only gave out the link on Friday night. Since then it has had almost 30,000 views. The level of interest is so high that I thought I should write to you.
I am fully aware that Ms Evans cost us around £500,000 (If Alex Salmond is correct) last week and I implore you to act so as not to allow her to waste any more public funding. Money which could be better spent on schools and hospitals. Even though Ms Evans’ misconduct took place a quarter of a century ago, I have yesterday lodged a complaint against her to the City of Edinburgh Council, copied to the Leader, the Lord Provost and the Chief Executive. Her sidekick at the time is presently the Director of Culture at the Council, so they have someone on hand who will verify my tale. I seek from the Council a public acknowledgement that we were wronged. I imagine Steve Cardownie, who was then Recreation Convener, might also be prepared to verify what took place.
I hope you can take my concerns seriously, as in light of this and her conduct with Alex Salmond, Ms Evans is, I believe, quite unfit for public office.
And another thing. When I last wrote you I was a GMB shop steward at NHS Lothian, where I work – their only steward for 24,000 staff. Since then they have decided to expel me as an anti-Semite for criticizing Israel. Even though I had a rabbi to defend me – hear him speak at https://youtu.be/XjcddpnZlBE
The story is accounted for in the National , the Times and the Jewish Chronicle. I am the first trade unionist in the UK to be expelled under the IHRA definition of anti-Semitism.
I had presented them with the letter from your Connected Communities Division. One of your officers, Jacob Hansen, indicated in his letter to me of 12th Dec (ref 2018/0039506) that your Government had adopted the IHRA definition in June 2017. He was under the impression that, because the IHRA states, ‘criticism of Israel similar to that levelled against any other country cannot be regarded as anti-Semitic’, our freedom of speech was protected in this regard. Sadly, not at the GMB.
I had presented his letter at my hearing, along with letters of support from many other bodies, which were completely ignored by the GMB Scotland Committee. I shall appeal against dismissal, although I am quite sure that will fail. I will then take the matter to either the High Court in London or the Court of Session in Edinburgh to get a judicial review and the GMB decision overturned. I am aware this will cost me many thousands of pounds, but I am determined to show the IHRA definition is indefensible in court as a mechanism for expelling or dismissing somebody critical of Israel by any of the many bodies who have, like yours, adopted a definition that Palestinian trade unions and civic groups have identified as a “politicised and fraudulent definition of anti-Semitism”. I have Michael Mansfield QC to defend me but there will be costs. (If you want to help, go to www.tinyurl.com/legalihra ).
I implore you to support my call for the IHRA to be abandoned and replaced with the definition that sufficed for hundreds of years (until Israel decided to tamper with our political and civic systems [for proof of what they do here, see “The Lobby”]) that is, that anti-Semitism is, as the OED explains, simply “hostility or prejudice against Jews”
Yours sincerely,
Peter Gregson,
Edinburgh